– #livegently –

You may have heard that my 2 mastermind buddies, Nicola Newman and Naomi Arnold, and I have decided to open up our space to a group of folks who'd like to do business gently in 2018. The Gentle Business Mastermind will support you to do business in a successful,...

Over the last few days, while I've been talking so much about doing business gently, I've had some interesting conversations over Instagram messenger and one in particular stands out. This beautiful woman reached out and asked me to point her in the right direction....

I LOVE this time of year. The holiday vibes and time with family are still fresh in the mind, but there's an energy of excitement as I start to plan the year. It's like anything is possible in a brand new year. I love taking the time to reflect on the year, fill in...

For the last few years I've been part of a little mastermind group, sometimes just two of us, now three of us, and we just catch up for an hour once a fortnight. We share the little wins we've had over the past fortnight (personal and professional), brainstorm...

With Leon Nacson, Managing Director of Hay House Australia In order to achieve anything in life, any dream that you have, I believe you have to do two things: Write it down and keep it safe Let it go Yep. All that stuff about shouting your dreams from the...

A couple of weeks ago I had the honour of being a key note speaker at the Beautiful You Coaching Academy Inspiration Day. I was asked to speak about coaching young people. While I have recorded over 60 hours of video trainings about this topic in the Youth Mentor...

Last week I was very honoured to speak at Soulpreneurs Summer School, an inspiring few days with beautiful women all there to get clear on their purpose and shine their light in the world in 2017. I’ve never experienced anything like it. It was practical, potent business advice from some of the world’s best (e.g. Michael Maidens who’s a pioneer in the digital space, being responsible for the Food Matters free worldwide screening that reached millions and has since become common practice for many online launches) mixed with soul (full moon releasing ceremony on the beach, animal kin oracles and self-care strategies). I got to share a little about living and working gently…

I’ve been working with teens for many years, and intensively through my own business Shine from Within for the last 4 years. If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that supporting young women and girls to truly shine in their own awesome way is pretty special. Even if it’s just running the odd workshop about whatever you know (yoga/food/sustainability/kindness/confidence/etc) or a series of little sisterhood evenings.

It also takes particular knowledge and skills to do it responsibly. Being aware of where they are at psychologically. Understanding how to truly connect with them in an engaging way that they can actually relate to. Even things like knowing what kind of insurance you need and the legislation you need to comply with. It’s definitely not something that can be taken lightly. But to see them shining and saying things like ‘I actually do feel more confident,” after a course is very very special. I truly do believe that if more men and women held a supportive space for teens to grow and develop by tapping into their own strengths and passions, the world would be a little kinder and brighter.

These last few months have been hectic and I’m sure you would probably be in the same boat – who isn’t?! And while it’s all good and well to say things like, “oh I don’t believe in the word ‘busy’,” and “let’s stop the glorification of the busyness” (which I wholeheartedly agree with by the way), the reality is we are pretty busy. Whether we fill our lives with nonsense or fun stuff or family commitments or work – most people’s lives are pretty full.

So for me, it’s about finding ways to come back to my calm happy place when I’m feeling frazzled and essentially working in a way that suits me. I’ve been reflecting on how I got through the last few months so here are some tips I came up with….

What I didn’t expect from enrolling in this course was the assistance and support I got in creating a brand new offering. It helped me get my online program, Shine From Within Youth Mentor Training up and running. I remember attending one of the in-person training days earlier in the year, sitting in the ‘hot seat’ and pitching this crazy idea that I had been working on for months and months behind the scenes. I also remember the swift kick up the butt that Yvette gave me about the price I was suggesting (thankfully!), because Soulpreneurs in particular, can really struggle to charge what they’re worth.

One of the things I love about working with young girls (other than just the privilege of hanging out with them) is listening to them and their incredible wisdom. I think teens are so often told what to do and offered advice, that they can seem a little surprised when you just ask them a question and really listen.

I’m always blown away by their answers. They are incredible. They usually have the answers they need (like us). They’re just still testing that out. Learning to trust their instincts and their feelings. It’s a beautiful thing to witness.

Any idea what your super fund is doing with your money? I had never really thought about it until I met Lee Coates, Ethical Money’s founder at a vegan festival about 5 years ago. He told me that every day large numbers of people concerned about the exploitation of animals, people and our planet are financing the very things they are campaigning against.

If you’re like me, you love the story behind the fashion you buy. You love searching for brands that consider people, animals and the planet in their business model. The brands who are not just churning out fast and cheap fashion, but where the designers are expressing their truth through their fashion and telling a story.

The story of these 3 designers is steeped in Australia’s history, Indigenous culture and links to the Earth. I recently discovered them while writing my regular Eco Style column for Nature & Health magazine.

It’s about 6:45pm on a Thursday night. Last Thursday night in fact. I’ve got polenta baking in the oven and a pan full of tomatoes, mushrooms, kale, onion and garlic simmering away. The Nashville playlist is making me smile and dance around the kitchen while I attempt to sing (it’s our current favourite Netflix hit)…..

Yesterday, while in the middle of a Skype call with a women keen to learn more about working with teens, I was asked “How did you get to this point with Shine From Within?” and it stumped me for a moment. If you don’t know about the work I do with teen girls, let me give you a quick run-down. I run workshops, courses, one-on-one mentoring and regular Sisterhood Evenings with tween and teen girls with the aim to help them build confidence, take care of themselves and truly shine – inside and out. It’s something I absolutely love and I feel very blessed to be able to do it. It’s in it’s 3rd year now and we’ve taught hundreds of girls.

Going back in time and thinking about where it all started, I think this course is what turned my idea in to a reality.

There are lots of reasons to love bamboo clothing. It’s anti-bacterial and has UV protection (the brand I’m wearing today, Bamboo Body has been tested and has UV 50+ protection) so it’s great on hot summer days, it’s super soft to wear and, in my experience, lasts well wash after wash.

Last year we ended up on the Today Show showing Australia how to use food as make up (it doesn’t get more natural than putting cacao and spirulina on your face!) but this year the focus has shifted to how beauty begins in the belly.

I think this is such an important aspect of beauty to focus on because we all want a ‘quick-fix’ product that’s going to make our skin glow and forget that our skin is a reflection of what’s going on on the inside. So if we want glowing, gorgeous, healthy skin, we have to start with the basics like hydration, fruits and vegetables and nourishing the body from the inside out. There are lots of incredible free webinars and live events happening all next week (19-23 October).

I graduated as a Beautiful You Life Coach almost a year ago now and I still whip out my books each month to go over things, love utilising all of the extra resources and worksheets with my own coaching clients and am constantly being surprised by just how much this course helped me – in life and in my business. So I wanted to share with you some of my learnings from the course and how I’ve utilised the training in ways I never expected.

It feels like the winds of change have finally arrived in Australia. Sustainable, ethically-manufactured and environmentally-conscious fashion is becoming an important topic here and not just amongst the few forward-thinking designers that have always had these principals at the forefront of their business.

It’s a curious thing, asking for help. On one hand, you’re admitting that you can’t do “it all” on your own. It can give you a pang in the stomach as though you aren’t quite good enough and have somehow failed. Aren’t we supposed to be able to do everything ourselves these days? And yet on the other hand, asking for help can open up infinite possibilities, something I’m only just beginning to realise.

It’s starting to cool down here in Oz but that’s no excuse to not get our butts moving! But you are not here for a motivational ‘fitspo’ rant and I’m no good at giving them…I slept in this morning because I felt like it. Gentle living at it’s best. One thing that does get me excited to exercise is sustainable, ethical activewear!

I’m so excited for you to hear from this beautiful, gentle girl, Nicola Newman. Nic has become such a great friend over the last couple of years, especially this year. She lives about half an hour away from me on a property in the country growing her organic veggies, painting and going on little adventures with her puppy and husband. In my eyes, Nic has mastered the art of working for herself in a way that suits her lifestyle. Like many people, it took a health scare to make the transition to a gentle life and I think you’re going to love her story, her simple tips for dealing with overwhelm and the art of flourishing with creativity!

Today is Fashion Revolution Day. It marks the anniversary of the Rana Plaza Collapse in Bangladesh where over 1000 people were killed and over 2000 injured when a garment factory collapsed. Cracks were visible in the walls days earlier but nothing was done about it. This tragedy has shone a light on the conditions of garment workers around the world and the real cost of fast and cheap fashion.

So what can we do about it? How can we, as consumers, really effect change? To start with, we can learn more about where our clothes come from. And a new documentary, Traceable, introduces us to the concept of traceability through the supply chain. Intercut with fashion and sustainability experts, it follows a young emerging fashion designer across the world as she sources her fabrics and manufactures her range in the lead up to New York Fashion Week.

Today I was scrolling through Instagram when I saw someone I admire and follow sharing something they loved. And a yukky thing happened – my first thought was, ‘I wonder if she really likes this or if she was paid to say she likes it?’ I immediately felt awful and pessimistic, but the truth is, she probably was paid. It got me thinking about how I feel about this. I don’t want to feel hoodwinked. So I felt that it was a good time to get really clear on what I share, promote, recommend and talk about – across all forms of media. Because I don’t ever want you to feel hoodwinked!

I know what my Dad would say…”Don’t you think you are taking this a bit far Amanda? Organic undies – really?” He thought I was a bit loony when I was trying to explain the plight of silk worms and why I have chosen not to wear silk. But if you are into eco-friendly fashion, or even just healthy living, then it’s a no brainer that the garments up close and personal should be as natural and chemical-free as possible.

Jess had this amazing ability to support and encourage you to believe that anything was possible. Even if you said, ‘I want to go to the moon!’ she would have said, ‘Yeah, just do it!’ without a moment’s hesitation. And with those few words you instantly believed that your wildest dreams were possible.

I first met Jess when we were introduced through a mutual friend because we had 3 things in common; we were in our early 20s, we had cancer and we had both started this weird thing called a ‘blog’ (we joked that we were such nerds!!) to share our journey while we tried to navigate the world with cancer.

Jess touched my life in so many ways. She was someone I could hang with. No need to speak. No need to justify anything. We could just hang.